Place the cucumber, peppers, tomatoes and red onion in a large bowl.
For the vinaigrette, whisk together the garlic, oregano, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Still whisking, slowly add the olive oil to make an emulsion. Pour the vinaigrette over the vegetables. Add the feta and olives and toss lightly. Set aside for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Serve at room temperature.
Preheat oven to 420F
Put all the ingredients into a baking pan large enough to hold them. Season generously with sea salt and black pepper.
Bake for 40 minutes.
When a nice golden-brown crust has formed on the potatoes, give them a stir to bring the white underside up, season lightly with a bit more sea salt and pepper and just a light sprinkling of oregano.
Add 1/2 cup more water if pan appears to be getting dry, and pop back into oven to brown other side of potatoes. This will take about another 40 minutes.
Trim and cut pork into 1 inch cubes.
In large bowl, whisk together lemon juice, oil, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper.
Add pork and stir to coat.
Marinate for 10 minutes (make ahead: cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours).
Evenly thread pork onto six 8 inch skewers; place on foil lined baking sheet.
Brush with marinade.
Broil 6 inches away from heat, turning halfway through, until just a hint of pink remains inside, about 12 minutes.
Spread tzatziki over each pita.
Remove pork from skewers and place on pitas; fold over.
Peel cucumbers and dice. Put them in a colander and sprinkle with the tablespoon of salt (draws water out). Cover with a plate and sit something heavy on top. Let sit for 30 minute Drain well and wipe dry with a paper towel.
In food processor or blender, add cucumbers, garlic, lemon juice, dill and/or mint, and a few grinds of black pepper. Process until well blended, then stir into yogurt. Taste before adding any extra salt, then salt if needed. Place in refrigerator for at least two hours before serving so flavors can blend.
This will keep for a few days in the refrigerator, but you will need to drain off any water and stir each time you use it.
Meanwhile spray skillet with Pam and set over medium high heat. Stir in mushrooms and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook; stirring occasionally until mushrooms are browned and liquid is evaporated (5-10 minutes). Add to orzo; toss.
Meanwhile sprinkle lamb chops with 1/4 teaspoons salt and the pepper.spray skillet with Pam and set over medium high heat and add lamp chops turning once (8-15 minutes).
Serve with orzo.
Peel the shrimp. With a sharp knife, make a shallow cut down the back of a shrimp. Remove the dark vein. Repeat with the remaining shrimp, then rinse them under cold water. Pat dry.
Place the shrimp in a large bowl. Combine the lemon juice, oregano, salt, and pepper; pour over the shrimp. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Drain the shrimp, reserving marinade.
Heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet. Add shrimp and saute for 2 minutes. Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Pour the reserved marinade into the skillet and then add the spinach. Cover and cook for 2 minutes.
Return the shrimp to pan and crumble feta over top; cover and cook 2 minutes longer, or until shrimp is cooked through.
Serve and enjoy!
To make the filling, coat a large saute pan with 1/4 cup of the oil and place over medium heat. Add the onion, fennel and lemon zest and stir until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the pine nuts and rice, saute for 2 minutes, stirring to coat. Pour in just 1/2 cup of the chicken stock and lower the heat. Simmer until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente, about 10 minutes. Scrape the parboiled rice mixture into a bowl and add the dill and parsley; season with salt and pepper. Allow to cool. Now on to the grape leaves.
Bring a big pot of water to a simmer. Blanch the grape leaves in the hot water for 5 minutes until pliable. Drain then trim the stems and any hard veins from the leaves. Pat dry with paper towels.
To assemble the dolmades, lay a grape leaf on a work surface, shiny-side down. Put 2 tablespoons of the rice filling near the stem end of the leaf. Fold the stem end over the filling, then fold both sides toward the middle, and roll up into a cigar it should be snug but not overly tight because the rice will swell once it is fully cooked. Squeeze lightly in the palm of your hand to secure the roll. Repeat with remaining grape leaves and filling.
Place the dolmades in a large Dutch oven or wide deep skillet, seam-side down in a single layer. Pour the remaining cup of broth, remaining olive oil, and the lemon juice over the dolmades, the liquid should reach halfway up the rolls, add some water if necessary. Cover the pan and simmer over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes, until the dolmades are tender when pierced with a fork. Serve warm, at room temperature or cool.
Wash and dry the tomatoes, cucumber and green pepper. Clean off the outer skin from the onion, wash and dry.
Cut the tomatoes into bite-sized irregularly shaped chunks, removing the core. Salt lightly. Slice the cucumber into 1/4-inch slices, cutting slices in half (whether or not you peel the cucumber is a personal choice). Salt lightly. Slice the pepper into rings, removing the stem and seeds. Salt lightly. Slice the onion into thin rings.
Combine the tomatoes, cucumbers, green pepper and onion in a large salad bowl. Sprinkle with oregano, pour olive oil over the salad, and toss.
Just before serving, place the feta on top of the salad, either as one slice or crumbled, and sprinkle the cheese with oregano (and pepper, if desired). Toss in some olives.
Mix a little bit of oil with the water and drizzle over the top. Serve garnished with hot peppers.
Wash and clean the spinach. Discard the stems. Drain & cut the leaves into shreds.
Combine the spinach, parsley, dill, green onions and grey sea salt in a bowl. Let stand for 15 minutes, then press out all of the liquid.
Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a skillet and saute the 3 cups of chopped onions until soft and transparent. Add the spinach mixture from step 2 and saute for a few more minutes. Add the feta cheese and black pepper.
Place each of 7 filo leaves in a buttered 10" x 17" x 2" baking pan, bruhing each leaf with melted clarified butter. Add the spinach mixture from step 3, spread into a thick layer then add remaining filo leaves, again brushing each leaf with melted clarified butter. Cut into 3"x 3" pieces with a sharp knife.
Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Combine all ingredients in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Blend 5 seconds. Good with most salads.
1. In large mixing bowl, combine water, yeast and honey. Let sit in warm place until mixture foams.
2. Stir in 1 1/2 to 2 cups flour, or as needed to create thick batter, mixing well with wooden spoon.Let batter rise in warm place for 30 minutes.
3. Stir in oil and enough flour to form kneadable dough. Turn onto lightly floured surface and knead for 5 to 8 min., or until dough becomes elastic and less sticky. Place in clean, lightly oiled bowl.
4. Let dough rise in warm place for 1 hr. Punch down, and let rise again for 30 min. Lightly oil large baking sheet.
5. On floured surface, roll dough into large rectangle. Crumble the feta cheese into middle, then break eggs onto cheese. Quickly fold up sides of dough, completely enclosing feta and eggs, and pinching edges to seal.
6. Place loaf on baking sheet, and brush with beaten egg white. Top with poppy seeds. Let loaf rise for 20 min. Bake at 350F for 45 minutes or until golden. Let cool before slicing.
Makes 12 servings.
Form meat mixture into 6 logs, each about 4" long. Place logs on a 15x10 jelly-roll pan. Bake until brown, about 15 minutes. Wrap bread rounds in foil. Warm in oven as meat cooks. Trim green onion tops. Cut onions lengthwise in strips. Remove bread rounds and meat from oven. Place each meat log on top of a bread round. Spoon Dilled Yogurt Sauce generously over meat. Sprinkle with onion strips. Garnish each sandwich with olives. Roll up bread to make a sandwich.
Peel the eggplants and cut them into slices about 1/2 inch thick. Brown the slices quickly in 1/4 cup of the oil. Set aside. Heat the remaining oil in the same skillet and cook the onions until they are brown. Add the ground meat and cook 10 minutes. Pour off excess fat. Combine the tomato paste with the wine, parsley,cinnamon, salt and peper. Stir this mixture into the meat and simmer over low heat, stirring frequently,until all the liquid has been absorbed.
Remove the mixture from the fire. Preheat the oven to 375F. Make a white sauce by melting the butter and blending in the flour, stirring with a wire whisk. Meanwhile, bring the milk to a boil and add it gradually to the butter-flour mixture, stirring constantly. When the mixture is thickened and smooth, remove it from the heat. Cook slightly and stir in the beaten eggs, nutmeg and ricotta.
Grease an 11x16-inch pan and sprinkle the bottom lightly with crumbs. Arrange alternate layers of the eggplant and the meat sauce in the pan, sprinkling each layer with Parmesan and crumbs. Pour the ricotta sauce over the top and bake 1 hour, or until top is golden. Remove from the oven and cool 20 to 30 minutes before serving. Cut into squares and serve. The flavors in this dish really improve if you make it a day ahead.
In medium glass or stainless-steel mixing bowl place first four ingredients, stirring to combine. Add chicken and turn to coat with marinade.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight. Spray 9-inch nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray; add chicken to skillet, reserving marinade, and cook over hgih heat until chicken is no longer pink.
Add reserved marinade and pepper to skillet and bring to a boil; cook for 1 minute.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In large bowl, mix all ingredients just until well combined but not overmixed.
In 13x9 metal baking pan, shape meat mixture into 9x5 inch loaf. Bake meat loaf 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.
